eisenhart



(No Model.) 3 Sheets--Sheet l.

H W. EISENHART.

v POTATO PLANTER. No. 540,157. Patented May 28, 1895.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2..

H. W. EISENHART;

POTATO PLANTER.

,NQ.540,157. PatentedMaJy28,1895.

No Model.) s Sheets-Sheet a.

' H. W. EISENHART.

POTATO PLANTBR. v No. 540,157. Patented May 28, 1895.

livenzon' features in which I now believe my invention Nita rArEs IErica.

ATENT HENRY W. EIS ENHART, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE A. B.

FARQUHAR COMPANY, LIMITED, OF SAME PLACE.

PoTA"To-P| ANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 540,157, dated May 28,1 895.

Application filed March 5, 1895.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. EISENHART, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city and county of York, in the State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPotato-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionhas to do mainly with the devices for taking up the seedpotatoes from the hopper and distributing them; and it also relates tothe means whereby the parts are thrown into and out of connection withthe driving axle.

I will first describe my improvements by reference to the drawingsaccompanying and forming part of this specification, and will then pointout specifically in the claims those to be comprised. V

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation ofso much of apotato-planter as needed for the purpose of explanation.Fig. 2 is a section, partly in elevation, on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa horizontal section through the lower part of the front portion of thehopper, omitting the lower sprocket-wheels for the feed-chains. Fig. 4is a plan view illustrative of the connections between the clutch andthe lever f, and at the right-hand upper corner of this figure is a sideelevation of the spring-press ure arm for the hoe. Fig. 5 is aperspective View of one of the side guidesbelow the bottom of thehopper. Fig. 6 isarear elevation, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation, of thefeedregulating bars and their supporting rockshaft or axle. Fig. 8 is aperspective view of one set of lifting-fingers.

The hopper A, its supporting frame A and draft tongueB and appliancesare mounted on and carried by the axle on which are the two wheels 0 O,the former fast, and thelatter loose, on the axle. Loose on the axle isone member a of a ratchet clutch. The other member a is splined on andrevolves with the axle, and is movable to and from the loose member a,being pressed toward and into engagement with the latter bya spiralspring .9 encircling the axle and confined between the sliding clutchmember a on the one side and a fixed flange or abutment s on the axleSerial No. 540,576. (No od l.)

on the other side. The sliding member a has on it a collar a against theouter face of which bears the forked end of an angle lever shipper b,which at its elbow is pivoted to a suitable part of the frame, and hasits outer end connected, by a connecting rod 0, to a crank d on the endof a cross-shaft e, sup ported in proper bearings in the front of theframe. Upon the shaft is fixed the lever f,

provided with a spring pressed locking dog g, to engage the usualnotched sector or quadrant h on the frame. Upon the shaft e at about itsmiddle is fixed a crank or radial arm 2', to the outer end of which ispinned one end of a connecting bar j, the other end of which is attachedto the h0e or opener D-- the latter being affixed to bars D which extendforward and diagonally upward and are joined to the under side of thetongue 13 by a horizontal hinge joint 7c. The arm i forms part of aspring pressure attachment a" which is fast on the shaft c, this springpressure attachment beingconstructed substantially as set forth inGalloways patent, No. 432,664, of July 22, 1890, or in my Patent No.495,404, of April 11, 1893, whereby any desired spring pressure can beput upon the opener D by rotatin g the shaft 6 through the agency of thelever f. It is for this reason that the shipping lever b is arranged toactuate the clutch member a only in unlocking direction. By moving themain lever f in one direction, the clutch members will be disengaged andpositively held apart, thus bringing the operating gearing to rest,while at the same time the opener D will belifted clear of the ground.Movement of the main lever in the opposite direction will lower theopener D and will also permit the clutch member a, by its spring, to bepressed into engagement with the other clutch member a; while at thesame time the lever f, after the engagement of the two clutch members,will be entirely free to be moved farther in the same direction so as toput upon the lowered opener D, through the agency of the arm 2' andattachment 2'', whatever spring pressure may be desired.

The device for lifting and distributing the potatoes consists of anendless chain or belt Z armed at proper intervals apart with liftingfingers 'm. I have shown two such devices placed side by side; and thisis the preferred arrangement, although one, or more than two,

of them can be employed if desired. The

belt or chain consists of a sprocket chain, which has the liftingfingers rigidly secured to it, and which passes up on the inside anddown upon the outside of the front wall of the hopper A (the bottom ofwhich is open) passing over the top and under the bottom of this wall ofthe hopper. At the bottom the chain is mounted upon a sprocket wheel Zloose on the axle. At the top the chain passes around and engages asprocket wheel Z fast on a cross shaft n mounted horizontally inbearings 0, on the front of the hopper. These end bearings 0 have each atongue 0' below, which tongue passes through a guide 0 on the hopper inwhich it can move up and down; and above, the bearing is engaged by thestem of an adjusting bolt 19 which passes through a bearing for it onthe hopper and is provided with an adjusting nut 19'. By means of thesebolts the lifting chain or belt can be tightened as desired. The shaft nis the chain driving shaft and for this purpose is connected by gearingto the axle. The connection in the present instance is made by asprocket chain 1' which passes below around a sprocket wheel 7" affixedto the loose clutch member a and above around a sprocket wheel r on theouter end of shaft n. At a point intermediate of these sprocket wheels,is a tightening spool r adjustable upon the frame for the purpose oftaking up any slack in the chain r.

In the present arrangement there are four lifting fingersmin each set.They are placed at equal intervals apart and pass up between regulatingbars or fingers t, by means of which the quantity or number of seedingpotatoes or slices thereof taken up by each set of fingers can bedetermined to a nicety. These regulating bars or fingers are fixed bytheir lower ends upon a horizontal rock-shaft o placed upon andcrosswise of the under side of the hopper, back of the opening in itsbottom through which the lifting fingers pass. The lower ends of thebars extend forward horizontally, or nearly so, across the opening inthe bottom of the hopper to near the front wall thereof, and at thispoint they have a bend so as to extend up substantially parallel withthe line of movement of the acting face of the lifting chain,alternating with the lifting fingers. The rock shaft 1) is actuated byan adjusting lever o fixed to it, and provided with suitable means forholding it in adjusted positionas for example by a clamping screw 0 in aguide in which the lever is allowed the limited play which is sufficientfor all purposes of adjustment. By rotating the shaft 12 the regulatingfingers can be set so as to increase or diminish at pleasure the workinglength of the lifting fingers-or in other words the distance which thosefingers can protrude into the hopper beyond the regulating barsand thusto determine the feed. The lifting chain and fingers within the hoppermove between side walls or partitions. In this instance, inasmuch asthere are two sets of chains and fingersside by side-there are threeside walls or partitions w w, and wthe middle one to being common to thetwo sets. This partition w extends down through and below the bottomopening in the hopper and has its lower end beveled to an edge as at 20to prevent the ascending lifting fingers from bringing up against it.This beveled portion of the central partition serves as a guide for thetwo chains in conjunction with the two flaring side guide pieces acplaced on the exterior opposite side edges of open ing in the bottom ofthe hopper, and adjustably held thereto by a slot and set screwarrangement 00 which will permit them to be set at the proper distancefrom their respective chains. The partitions above and down upon theoutside of the front wall of the hopper are continued in the form of atrunk or hood y which incloses the chains and fingers, and which is openat the bottom for the discharge of the potatoes. By this hood thepotatoes are prevented from falling from the fingers until they get tothe bottom of the hood, and their discharge is thus made certain anduniform.

The feeding mechanism thus organized and arranged is at once simple,compact and very efficient. It is most accurate in its action, durable,and not liable to get out of order.

Having described my improvements and the best way now known to me ofcarrying the same into effect, what I claim herein as new and of my owninvention is as follows:

The combination with the driving axle, the potato feeding devices, thegearing for operating the same, the spring closed two part clutch forimparting movement to said gearing from said axle, and the hoe oropener, of the cross shaft 6, the operating lever f, the crank d on saidshaft connected by rod 0 to the clutch shipping lever whereby the saidshipping lever is positively actuated from the operating lever f inunlocking direction only, andthe spring pressure attachmenti' mounted onshaft e and having its crank arm 1 connected to the hoe or opener as andfor the purposes shown and described.

2. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a hopper having anopen bottom; a feed chain or belt with lifting fingers attached passingup through the bottom and along the inside of the front wall of thehopper and down on the outside of said wall; wheels on which said chainis mounted and actuating gearing therefor; regulating fingers or barsextending up through the bottom of the hopper in substantial parallelismwith the feed chain and alternating with, and arranged to enter thespaces between, the lifting fingers, a rock shaft on which saidregulating barsare mounted and adjusting means connected to said rockshaft, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

3. In combination with the open bottomed hopper the feed chain and itsattached lifting fingers, of the regulating bars extending horizontallyor nearly so across the bottom of the hopper to near the feed chain, andat this point having a bend so as to extend up substantially parallelwith the acting face of the feed chain alternating with and entering thespaces between the lifting fingers thereon,a rock shaft upon which saidbars are mounted, and an operating lever therefor whereby said bars maybe adjusted to increase or diminish at pleasure the working length ofthe lifting fingers, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with the feed chain and lifting fingers carried by thesame, and the regulating bars alternating with said fingers, the hopperprovided with an opening in its bottom through which the chain andregulating bars pass up into the hopper, and downwardly projectingguides adjustably affixed to the under side of thehopper on each side ofthe bottom opening therein, substantially as and for the purposeshereinbefore set forth.

5. In combination, the hopper; the two feed chains and lifting fingerscarried by the same placed sideby side and passing up on the inside anddown on the outside of the hopper; the 'chain supporting wheels andactuating gearing therefor; the partitions w w; ,theadjustable sideguides w; and the trunk or hood yunder the arrangement and for jointoperation as hereinbefore set forth.

6. In combination with the feed chain and its attached lifting fingersand the open bottomed hopper, the regulating bars mounted upon arock-shaft on the bottom of the hopper and provided with horizontalportions which extend as a grating across the open bottom of the hopper,and with upwardly bent portions which extend up along the acting face ofthe feed chain and in the spaces between the lifting fingers,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day ofFebruary, 1895.

HENRY W. EISENHART.

Witnesses:

W. D. SOUDER, J. H. STALLMAN.

